"Old ideas give way slowly ... They are habits, predispositions, deeply ingrained attitudes of aversion and preference. ... In fact, intellectual progress usually occurs through sheer abandonment of questions ... We do not solve them; we get over them."
—John Dewey, "The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy" (1910)
John Dewey was a philosopher, educational reformer, and a key founder in pragmatism. Dewey supported Darwin's theory of evolution. He included many of Darwin's ideas within his own theories (in education and democracy) and even wrote an article entitled "The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy" (1910). Dewey owes much thanks to Darwin for warming the public to new ideas. Due to the wide acceptance of Darwin's theory the public began receiving new theories and innovations better. A clear turning away and challenging of traditional thought highlights this time.
I attached a copy of "The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy" from google books.
http://books.google.com/books?id=ZIgn5l73hmEC&pg=PA39&dq=the+publication+of+the+origins+of+species+%22marked+an+epoch+in+the+development%22&ei=ru9_SZqoAqDkzQTRx-WPCQ
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Darwin's theory of evolution definitely opened the door for criticism of older, engrained ideas that eventually led to pragmatism. Without Darwin's theory and the consequences of the Civil War, perhaps William James may have not come up with the pragmatist theory that influenced Dewey and other great intellectuals of the 20th century.
ReplyDelete